Following the Philadelphia Eagles decision to trade up to the No. 2 overall spot in the upcoming draft, incumbent starting quarterback Sam Bradford was reportedly pretty upset over the trade.
After all, it’s readily apparent that the bounty Philadelphia paid to move up to that pick was sent to the Cleveland Browns in order to draft a quarterback.
Fresh off signing a two-year, $35 million deal with Philadelphia in February, bypassing the ability to hit a watered-down free agent market, Bradford may now be prepared to request a trade from the Eagles.
Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole is reporting that Bradford is likely to demand Philadelphia move him:
“I’ve talked to a source who said it’s likely that Bradford is going to ask for a trade at some point in time, or some way to get out of Philadelphia so that he can move on with his career somewhere else with a team that is going to be invested in him long-term,” Cole reported. “That’s the kind of solution that Bradford is looking at at this point in time.”
This makes perfect sense for Bradford himself. He signed that two-year deal with the expectation that he would be guaranteed to be the team’s starting quarterback for the next few seasons. And even after the Eagles gave Chase Daniel a three-year, $21 million contract, that remained the case.
Of course, this all changed on Wednesday when Philadelphia sent five valuable picks to the Browns for the second overall selection.
Immediately after said trade, reports surfaced that the Eagles were not looking to move Bradford. Instead, the team seems intent on letting whoever it drafts in the first round sit for a year or two.
While that makes some sense for the team, it gives Bradford very little confidence that the Eagles are committed to him over the long term.
The issue with any potential deal, as Cole notes, Bradford has already been paid $11 million from the Eagles as part of the deal he signed in February. Including that $11 million signing bonus, the former No. 1 pick is due to count $35 million against the cap over the next two seasons.
Among the teams that could potentially be interested in Bradford are the San Francisco 49ers. Though, the quarterback has previously indicated that he didn’t give the idea of joining former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly in San Francisco any real thought.
With the 49ers also $50-plus million under the cap, they have the cash to take on Bradford’s contract. The primary issue here is the presence of Colin Kaepernick’s contract and the lack of any trade movement surrounding him.
San Francisco won’t come close to considering a move for Bradford without dealing Kaepernick first.
The Denver Broncos and New York Jets are also potentially in the market for a starting quarterback.
Though, Denver has turned its focus to Brian Hoyer after acquiring Mark Sanchez earlier in the offseason.
Meanwhile, the Jets would be wise to come close to meeting Ryan Fitzpatrick’s asking price rather than make a move for Bradford. After all, Fitzpatrick has a built-in relationship with the team and would come cheaper.
It makes sense that Bradford would be upset. Who wouldn’t be? In no way does this mean that there’s a logical way for Philadelphia to meet his trade demands.